MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trump says he will visit Venezuela, praises Delcy Rodríguez as U.S. expands oil licences

“The oil is coming out… and we take care of it. We’re refining it, and we’re the only ones with the capacity to refine,” Trump said

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he plans to travel to Venezuela, while acknowledging that no date has been set. “I’m going to make a visit to Venezuela,” he told reporters at the White House.

Trump spoke as he departed for Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where he was due to meet U.S. special forces involved in the January 3 operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is facing charges in New York.

In his remarks, Trump defended Delcy Rodríguez — who leads the transition government recognized by Washington after Maduro’s removal — and portrayed her as an effective counterpart. “Delcy has done a very, very good job, excellent. And the relationship is solid,” he said.

President Trump said the United States relationship with Venezuela is ‘very good’ and that he plans to visit the country https://t.co/CbiYPWZmtG pic.twitter.com/9bfBgxiQEu

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 13, 2026

He linked that assessment to the framework agreed with Caracas to reopen oil production under U.S. oversight. “The oil is coming out… and we take care of it. We’re refining it, and we’re the only ones with the capacity to refine,” Trump said, pointing to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries designed for heavy crude.

Separately, the U.S. Treasury on Friday announced a relaxation of energy sanctions through two general licences. One allows companies including Chevron, BP, Eni, Shell and Repsol to expand oil and gas operations in Venezuela; the other enables new investment contracts with PDVSA, subject to case-by-case approvals by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Al Jazeera reported.

Those authorisations do not extend to entities linked to Russia, Iran or China, among others, and are framed as a way to attract investment while limiting strategic exposure to those actors, according to the same report.

If the visit goes ahead, it would be a high-profile political signal in a relationship Trump described as “solid”, as Washington pairs control over oil revenue flows with a regulated reopening of the sector and pressure for an electoral process.